In Brief: When two scientists are kidnapped their cat-speaking son pursues, and joins a circus. Review: Interestingly, “Zizou Corder” is actually Louisa Young and daughter Isabel, and… Read more “Lionboy, by Zizou Corder”
Tag: fiction
La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman
In Brief: First of the Dark Materials prequels with baby Lyra in a wicked flood. Review: The odd and obvious thing with prequels is that we already… Read more “La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman”
Tactics of Mistake, by Gordon R Dickson
Brief: Cletus Grahame is a know-it-all military tactician out to call halt to an intergalactic war. Review: Essentially a chess game between tactician-come-mercenary Grahame and a military… Read more “Tactics of Mistake, by Gordon R Dickson”
The Poisoned Island, by Lloyd Shepherd
In Brief: Murder mystery and made up botany in Georgian London. Review: A ship returns from Tahiti but a selection of the crew who developed a penchant… Read more “The Poisoned Island, by Lloyd Shepherd”
Red Strangers, by Elspeth Huxley
In Brief: Fictionalised history of the cultural changes faced by native tribes in Kenya. Review: Usually recounting her Kenyan childhood, Huxley uses the novel to document the… Read more “Red Strangers, by Elspeth Huxley”
Bears of England, by Mick Jackson
In Brief: Eight invented histories of bears and English society. Review: If a society is judged by how it treats its poor and vulnerable then the miserable… Read more “Bears of England, by Mick Jackson”
The Magicians of Caprona, by Diana Wynne Jones
In Brief: Two households, both alike in sorcery. In familiar Caprona, where we lay our scene. Review: The second of the Chrestomanci books is a stand-alone, with… Read more “The Magicians of Caprona, by Diana Wynne Jones”
The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro
In Brief: Post-Arthurian fantasy with an elderly couple navigating the mists of memory. Review: It’s a curious thing to be confronted by the work of a great… Read more “The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro”
Doc Savage and the Thousand Headed Man, by Kenneth Robeson
In Brief: old-school racist adventures with Doc and his crew facing devious Chinamen and jungle savages. Review: As discussed in the review of Man of Bronze, it’s… Read more “Doc Savage and the Thousand Headed Man, by Kenneth Robeson”
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders
In Brief: The ghost of President Lincoln’s son is in a graveyard chock full of spooks. Review: The “bardo” sounds like a rather swell restaurant, but is… Read more “Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders”